quick cosmoline removal

[LORD of WAR]

got a few preban AK mags that are saturated in cosmoline or some type of oil...whats the quickets way to get the stuff off so i can these mags up and runnin?

i was thinking takin them apart and soakin em in mineral oil for a few hours

ive used wd-40 to take cosmoline off too...how about break free???

 

[Thunderbolt]

Blood Hound I would go with mineral spirits myself. Hoppe's would work too. But mineral spirits is a heck of alot cheaper. A 10 minute soak would surely do it with and quick brushing for the tough spots and wipe them all down. The cosmo will just melt off.

 

[MassMark]

I've used Coleman Lantern Fuel with great results - it seems to really break the cosmo down - kerosene works too, but that Lantern fuel seems to have a bit mor zip. Another method I've used is hot soapy water, (Dawn). Cosmolene melts at 130-140 degrees, so you could even slow bake it right off...I've also used brake cleaner on my Yugo bolt, but don't know if it will damage the finish on your mags....

 

[crak]

+1 on the mineral spirits.

 

[Thor67]

Put them in an oven at low temps. I use an old toaster oven that I put outside. I think cosmolene melts at 120 degrees or so.

 

[SKS Ray]

Break Free does work great, but for magazines unless you can get inside them I'd try a baking type device too. I've seen people make some out of steel trash cans and heat lamps that work well and are less nasty than using an oven/

 

[matt]

Put them in an oven at low temps. I use an old toaster oven that I put outside. I think cosmolene melts at 120 degrees or so.

Keep a fire extinguisher handy!! Oil + heat =

 

[crak]

No no no... they're just mags. You don't need to bake them. If it was a stock, you might want to bake it to get to the cosmo that seeped way into the grains.

But for metal, a mineral spirits bath will do the trick. Don't make a mess of your oven (or even worse, invent a new oven) over some mags.

 

[LORD of WAR]

just so everyone knows for future knowledge...


mineral spirits worked just fine...i totally dissassembled the mags and let them sit in the mineral oil for a little bit and literally watched the cosmoline strip off the metal surface

i then took a toothbrush to the mags to get into some of the harder to reach and morer stubborn chunks of cosmoline off...wiped them down with paper towels then let em air dry for a little then lubed em up with some rem oil and they look great!

wish i had gotten more at the time

oh and just an FYI...wear gloves if you plan on doing this!!! ive worked with mineral spirits before and never had a problem but prolonged exposure caused a nasty burning rash on my hand for a few hours